2 Kings 24
New English Translation
24 During Jehoiakim’s reign,[a] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked.[b] Jehoiakim was his subject for three years, but then he rebelled against him.[c] 2 The Lord sent against him Babylonian, Syrian, Moabite, and Ammonite raiding bands; he sent them to destroy Judah, just as in the Lord’s message that he had announced through his servants the prophets. 3 Just as the Lord had announced, he rejected Judah because of all the sins that Manasseh had committed.[d] 4 Because he killed innocent people and stained Jerusalem with their blood, the Lord was unwilling to forgive them.[e]
5 The rest of the events of Jehoiakim’s reign and all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.[f] 6 He passed away[g] and his son Jehoiachin replaced him as king. 7 The king of Egypt did not march out from his land again, for the king of Babylon conquered all the territory that the king of Egypt had formerly controlled between the Stream of Egypt and the Euphrates River.
Jehoiachin’s Reign over Judah
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother[h] was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem. 9 He did evil in the sight of[i] the Lord as his ancestors had done.
10 At that time the generals[j] of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched to Jerusalem and besieged the city.[k] 11 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to the city while his generals were besieging it. 12 King Jehoiachin of Judah, along with his mother, his servants, his officials, and his eunuchs surrendered[l] to the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon, in the eighth year of his reign,[m] took Jehoiachin[n] prisoner. 13 Nebuchadnezzar[o] took from there all the riches in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace. He removed all the gold items that King Solomon of Israel had made for the Lord’s temple, just as the Lord had warned. 14 He deported all the residents of Jerusalem, including all the officials and all the soldiers (10,000 people in all). This included all the craftsmen and those who worked with metal. No one was left except for the poorest among the people of the land. 15 He deported Jehoiachin from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with the king’s mother and wives, his eunuchs, and the high-ranking officials of the land.[p] 16 The king of Babylon deported to Babylon all the soldiers (there were 7,000), as well as 1,000 craftsmen and metal workers. This included all the best warriors.[q] 17 The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s[r] uncle, king in Jehoiachin’s place. He renamed him Zedekiah.
Zedekiah’s Reign over Judah
18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother[s] was Hamutal,[t] the daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah. 19 He did evil in the sight of[u] the Lord, as Jehoiakim had done.[v]
20 What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the Lord’s anger; he finally threw them out of his presence.[w] Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 24:1 tn Heb “In his days.”
- 2 Kings 24:1 tn Heb “came up.” Perhaps an object (“against him”) has been accidentally omitted from the text. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 306.
- 2 Kings 24:1 tn The Hebrew text has “and he turned and rebelled against him.”
- 2 Kings 24:3 tn Heb “Certainly according to the word of the Lord this happened against Judah, to remove [them] from his face because of the sins of Manasseh according to all which he did.”
- 2 Kings 24:4 tn Heb “and also the blood of the innocent which he shed, and he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.”
- 2 Kings 24:5 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehoiakim, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
- 2 Kings 24:6 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
- 2 Kings 24:8 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
- 2 Kings 24:9 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
- 2 Kings 24:10 tn Heb “servants.”
- 2 Kings 24:10 tn Heb “went up [to] Jerusalem and the city entered into siege.”
- 2 Kings 24:12 tn Heb “came out.”
- 2 Kings 24:12 sn That is, the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, 597 b.c.
- 2 Kings 24:12 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jehoiachin) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- 2 Kings 24:13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Nebuchadnezzar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- 2 Kings 24:15 tn Heb “and he deported Jehoiachin to Babylon; the mother of the king and the wives of the king and his eunuchs and the mighty of the land he led into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”
- 2 Kings 24:16 tn Heb “the entire [group], mighty men, doers of war.”
- 2 Kings 24:17 tn Heb “his.”
- 2 Kings 24:18 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
- 2 Kings 24:18 tc Some textual witnesses support the consonantal text (Kethib) in reading “Hamital.”
- 2 Kings 24:19 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
- 2 Kings 24:19 tn Heb “according to all which Jehoiakim had done.”
- 2 Kings 24:20 tn Heb “Surely [or, ‘for’] because of the anger of the Lord this happened in Jerusalem and Judah until he threw them out from upon his face.”
2 Kings 24
King James Version
24 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.
2 And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servants the prophets.
3 Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did;
4 And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the Lord would not pardon.
5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
6 So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.
7 And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done.
10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.
11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it.
12 And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.
13 And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, as the Lord had said.
14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
15 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
16 And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.
17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
18 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
19 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
20 For through the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
2 Kings 24
Evangelical Heritage Version
Judgment for Judah
24 In the days of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years, but he then rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar again.
2 Then the Lord sent bands of Chaldeans, bands of Arameans, bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim. He sent them into Judah to destroy them according to the word of the Lord, which he had spoken through his servants the prophets. 3 Surely this happened at the Lord’s command to remove them from his presence because of all the sins Manasseh had committed, 4 as well as the innocent blood he had shed. He filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.
5 As for the rest of Jehoiakim’s deeds and everything he did, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Judah? 6 Jehoiakim rested with his fathers. Then his son Jehoiachin became king in his place.
7 The king of Egypt did not march out from his land again because the king of Babylon had seized everything that had belonged to the king of Egypt, from the Stream of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
Jehoiachin Son of Jehoiakim, King of Judah
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he ruled for three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan from Jerusalem.
9 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just like everything that his father had done. 10 At that time, the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem and put the city under siege. 11 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his officers were besieging it.
12 Then Jehoiachin king of Judah surrendered to the king of Babylon—he and his mother, his officials, his officers, and his eunuchs.[a] In the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. 13 He brought out all the treasures of the House of the Lord and the treasures of the palace of the king. He cut up all the gold articles in the House of the Lord, which Solomon king of Israel had made, just as the Lord had said. 14 He exiled all Jerusalem and all the officers and all the warriors—ten thousand men went into exile—as well as all the craftsmen and metal workers. No one was left except the poorest people of the land. 15 He exiled Jehoiachin to Babylon. He also took the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his eunuchs, and the leading citizens of the land into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 The king of Babylon also took into exile all the soldiers—seven thousand men—and the craftsmen and metal workers—a thousand men, all strong and trained for war.[b] 17 Then the king of Babylon made Jehoiachin’s uncle Mattaniah king in his place, but he changed his name to Zedekiah.
Zedekiah Son of Josiah, the Last King of Judah
18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. 19 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just like everything that Jehoiakim had done. 20 Surely it was because of the Lord’s wrath that all this fell upon Jerusalem and Judah, until he cast them from his presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 24:12 Or court officials. The word includes eunuchs, but it does not seem that all who had this title were eunuchs.
- 2 Kings 24:16 Unusual word order makes it difficult to be certain of the translation.
Melachim Bais 24
Orthodox Jewish Bible
24 In his yamim Nevuchadnetzar Melech Bavel came up, and Y’hoyakim became his eved (servant, vassal) shalosh shanim; then he turned and rebelled against him.
2 And Hashem sent against him gedudim (soldiers of the army) of the Kasdim, and gedudim of Aram (Syria) and gedudim of Mo’av and gedudim of Bnei Ammon, and sent them against Yehudah to destroy it, according to the Devar Hashem, which He spoke by His avadim the Nevi’im.
3 Surely at the command of Hashem came this upon Yehudah, to remove them out of His sight, for the chattot of Menasheh, according to all that he did;
4 And also for the dahm hanaki (innocent blood) that he shed; for he filled Yerushalayim with dahm naki; which Hashem would not pardon.
5 Now the rest of the acts of Y’hoyakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the Sefer Divrei HaYamim of the Melachim of Yehudah?
6 So Y’hoyakim slept with his Avot; and Y’hoyakhin bno reigned in his place.
7 And Melech Mitzrayim came not again any more out of his land; for Melech Bavel had taken from the Wadi Mitzrayim unto Nahar Euphrates all that belonged to Melech Mitzrayim.
8 Y’hoyakhin was 18 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Yerushalayim 3 chodashim. And shem immo was Nechushta Bat Elnatan of Yerushalayim.
9 And he did that which was rah in the eyes of Hashem, according to all that his Aviv had done.
10 At that time the avadim of Nevuchadnetzar Melech Bavel came up against Yerushalayim, and the Ir was besieged.
11 Nevuchadnetzar Melech Bavel came against the Ir, and his avadim did besiege it.
12 And Y’hoyakhin Melech Yehudah went out to Melech Bavel, he, and immo, and his avadim, and his sarim, and his sarisim; and Melech Bavel took him in the 8th year of his reign.
13 And he carried off there all the otzerot of the Beis Hashem, and the otzerot of the Bais HaMelech, and cut in pieces kol kelei hazahav which Sh’lomo Melech Yisroel had made in the Heikhal Hashem, as Hashem had said.
14 And he carried away into the Golus all Yerushalayim, and all the sarim, and all the gibborei hachayil, even ten thousand Golus captives, and all the charash and masger (smiths, artisans); none remained, except the dalat am ha’aretz (poor people of the land).
15 And he carried away Y’hoyakhin to Bavel, and the Em HaMelech, and the nashim of HaMelech, and his sarisim, and the leading men of HaAretz, those he carried into the Golus from Yerushalayim to Babylon.
16 And all the anshei hachayil, even shivat alafim, and a thousand charash and masger, all that were gibborim for making milchamah, even them Melech Bavel took into the Golus to Babylon.
17 And Melech Bavel made Matanyah dodo (his [Y’hoyakhin’s] uncle) Melech in his place, and changed shmo to Tzidkiyahu (Zedekiah).
18 Tzidkiyau (Zedekiah) was twenty and one shanah when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven shanah in Yerushalayim. And shem immo was Chamutal Bat Yirmeyahu of Livnah.
19 And he did that which was rah in the eyes of Hashem, according to all that Y’hoyakim had done.
20 For through the anger of Hashem this came about in Yerushalayim and Yehudah, until He cast them out from His presence. And Tzidkiyahu (Zedekiah) rebelled against Melech Bavel.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International